Speak the Same Carbon Language: SCI for OpenTelemetry
Software Carbon Intensity (SCI) measurements have no shared semantic conventions in OpenTelemetry today. This project starts by drafting conventions covering energy consumption, carbon intensity, embodied carbon, and the functional unit, then builds the instrumentation that puts them into practice — so every observability stack can emit and consume carbon data consistently.
Starting with an Assembly
Rather than a small group drafting semantic conventions on its own, this project begins with a GSF Assembly — a structured, time-boxed process for bringing a group of experts to consensus on a hard question. The SCI for OpenTelemetry Assembly is how the OpenTelemetry and Green Software communities work through the SCI formula together and arrive at an initial draft of the semantic conventions, before it goes to the OpenTelemetry Semantic Conventions SIG for review.
Carbon Has No Shared Vocabulary in OpenTelemetry
The Software Carbon Intensity (SCI) specification (ISO/IEC 21031:2022) defines a standardised method for measuring the carbon intensity of a software system. Its components — energy consumption, hardware utilisation, and a functional unit — map directly onto concepts that observability practitioners already instrument. But OpenTelemetry has no agreed attribute names or metric definitions for any of them.
A previous attempt to address this stalled in 2023 when the primary driver changed roles. This project picks that work back up: starting with a draft set of semantic conventions for the OpenTelemetry Semantic Conventions SIG to review, then building the instrumentation that puts them into practice.
What We're Standardizing
SCI = ((E × I) + M) per R — a draft baseline set of semantic conventions covering each component of the formula, plus the composite score itself
Who We're Looking For
Applications are open to anyone with relevant expertise, or who knows someone who has it
Semantic Conventions Experience
OpenTelemetry semantic conventions experience, to ensure the output maps cleanly into OTel from the start.
Carbon Measurement Expertise
Green software / carbon measurement expertise: SCI, Kepler, carbon intensity data sources.
Instrumentation Experience
Instrumentation experience, to inform how conventions would be implemented in practice.
Observability Backend Vendors
Interest from observability backend vendors, to ensure standardised carbon signals are consumable across the ecosystem.